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By Maya Mehrara
News Reporter
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Texas Governor Greg Abbott has blamed Vice President Kamala Harris for the death of Jocelyn Nungaray, a 12-year-old girl who authorities suspect was murdered by two illegal Venezuelan immigrants in June.
In a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, Abbott claimed that Harris' "yearslong border failure" resulted in Nungaray's death, as she did not answer a letter he sent urging her to visit the border and address his concerns in securing it.
Abbott then stated that Harris did not crack down on illegal immigration, and referred to her as Biden's "Border Czar" — a role she never officially held. He implored her to support the Justice for Jocelyn Act during her visit to Texas this week.
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Introduced by Senator Ted Cruz and Congressman Troy E. Nehls, the Justice for Jocelyn Act would tighten the detention and tracking of illegal immigrants in the US and allow Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials to deport or complete immigration proceedings with illegal immigrants.
On June 17, police in North Houston found Nungaray's body in a creek and determined the cause of death to be strangulation.
Nungaray reportedly snuck out of her home and was on her way to a 7/11 when encountered two men, who according to the police, asked her for directions before leading her under a bridge, where she was tied up and kept for two hours before her death.
Authorities say that Nungaray was sexually assaulted prior to her death.
Johan Jose Martinez Rangel, 22, and Franklin Jose Pena Ramos, 26, were later arrested and charged with capital murder, and were confirmed by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement to be undocumented migrants that had been released by U.S. Border Control.
In response to Nungaray's death, a White House spokesperson told NBC News, "Our hearts go out to the family and loved ones of Jocelyn Nungaray."
They continued, "We cannot comment on active law enforcement cases, but fundamentally, anyone found guilty of this type of heinous and shocking crime should be held accountable, to the fullest extent of the law."
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After their bail hearings in June, Martinez and Pena are not set to return to court until September. Abbott has called for the death penalty to be invoked.
Trump has also blamed the Biden administration for Nungaray's death, and said he spoke to her mother prior to the presidential debate on June 27, as her funeral was that same day.
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Harris responded to Trump, Abbott, and other Republicans' claims that she is a 'failed border czar' at a rally in Atlanta on Tuesday when she said, "Donald Trump does not care about border security, he only cares about himself."
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